You are currently browsing the Gary’s Blog weblog archives for February, 2010.
- Business Marketing (3)
- Living (192)
- 30. July 2010: JOE LEGAL vs. JOSE ILLEGAL
- 29. July 2010: Bar Stool Economics
- 1. July 2010: The Candy Man
- 30. June 2010: 5 Riddles
- 29. June 2010: The Stairs
- 23. June 2010: From a Texan
- 22. June 2010: Song of the Birds
- 25. May 2010: Sometimes only a picture can get our attention!
- 23. May 2010: The Undeserved "Beauty" in Arizona
- 21. May 2010: Enjoy Today, Whatever You Do.
Archive for February 2010
Paul Harvey’s Wish For His Grandchildren and a Riddle
27. February 2010 by admin.
Can you answer this riddle? (riddle is at the end!!!)
Here is a pretty neat little thing from Paul Harvey.
See if you can guess the riddle at the end.
Paul Harvey Writes:
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I’d like better.
I’d really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.
I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.
It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it’s all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he’s scared, I hope you let him.
When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you’ll let him/her.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.
On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don’t ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won’t be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.
If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.I don’t care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don’t like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with them. May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.
I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor’s window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it’s the only way to appreciate life.
Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I’m here for you. And if I die before you do, I’ll go to heaven and wait for you.
Show this to all of your friends. We secure our friends, not by accepting favors, but by doing them.
Paul Harvey RIDDLE:
When asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten kids got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford University seniors.
What is greater than God,
More evil than the devil,
The poor have it,
The rich need it,
And if you eat it, you’ll die?
If you want to know the correct answer, you need to email me at gary@BlogByGary.com with your answer.
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A Little Medical Advice for the Rest of Us
26. February 2010 by admin.
Finally, common sense prevails! His practice has no room for new patients! Now, he’s a medical wizard!
I love this Doctor !!!!!
Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Heart only good for so many beats, and that it… Don’t waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speed up heart not make live longer; that like say you can extend life of car by driving faster. Want live longer? Take nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does cow eat? Hay and corn. What are these? Vegetables. So, steak nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to system.. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef also good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And pork chop can give 100% recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take water out of fruity bit; get even more of goodness that way. Beer also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: If you have body and you have fat, ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Cannot think of single one, sorry. My philosophy: No Pain…Good!
Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU NOT LISTENING!!! ….. Foods fried in vegetable oil. How getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You should only do sit-ups if want bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: You crazy? HELLO. Cocoa beans! Vegetable!!! Cocoa beans best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming good for figure, explain whales to me.
Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! ‘Round’ is shape!
Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
AND……
For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health. It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies:
1. The Japanese eat very little fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats
And suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
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Points to Ponder
25. February 2010 by admin.
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to “put your two cents in”… But it’s only a “penny for your thoughts“? Where’s that extra penny going to?
Once you’re in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
Why are you IN a movie, but you’re ON TV?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They’re going to see you naked anyway.
Why is “bra” singular and “panties” plural?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?
If the professor on Gilligan’s Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can’t he fix a hole in a boat?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They’re both dogs!
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn’t he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Why do they call it an asteroid when it’s outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it’s in your butt?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
If you have sex with a prostitute against her will, is it considered rape or shoplifting?
Do you ever wonder why you ARE SPENDING YOUR TIME READING in the first place
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Can You Actually Give Up “Spending” for 4 Weeks - Will You?
24. February 2010 by admin.
After all, it has been programmed into my psyche all my life to spend, spend, spend; want, want, want.
Sunday’s article in the Hartford Courant written by Gregory Karp for The Morning Call in Allentown,
After all who in their right mind would want to actually take control of their life and control how they live by Not buying everything they see?
He makes a good point that now is a great time to not spend any money on discretionary items for 4 weeks. It’s after the holidays and before Tax Day plus the weather is in transition of moving from our crazy winter to hopefully a great spring, summer and autumn.
If you are one of the few that do take this seriously, you will not only save a few dollars, you will also learn a valuable lesson or two.
You will learn to spend your hard earned money more wisely and you will learn that you actually do not really need all the junk you buy on impulse. In addition, you will learn about the many free ways you can enjoy life.
Just like any addiction, the withdrawal period is the most painful. Once you have finished your 4 weeks, your brain will be reprogrammed to spend money more wisely.
Of course you still do need to pay all of your regular bills, such as your mortgage, utilities, and debts. However, do reconsider your phone services like your land line and your cell phones. Do you need both and do you need all of the extra options you currently have?
I have unlimited long distance calling on my land line plus I have Magic Jack which gives me unlimited long distance calling for just $20 a year, I think. It doesn’t allow me to get on conference calls, which I do for my Internet business.
I have also recently joined a company where I can earn money and get unlimited long distance calling to the
If my cell phone reception was better in my home I would seriously consider getting rid of my land line. Within a couple months I will get rid of many of the extras I have with it and seldom use.
Do you really need all of those TV channels? If you are spending more than 2-3 hours a night watching TV then all I can say is “Get a Life!!!”.
Read books, play board games with family members, rent movies or better yet, go to your library and check out free DVD movies and books. When were you last at your local library? Do you even have a library card?
His suggestion on Food was a bit much for me. I love food. He said to reduce your grocery bill by using up the food in your refrigerator, on your shelves, and in your freezer.
My wife went through our freezer compartment in our refrigerator a few days ago and discovered several great items that we have since eaten.
Buy only foods that can be eaten in their raw natural state. This was not in the article. It is my own contribution. We humans were not designed to eat foods that are cooked or processed. If this is a challenge for you then at least reduce your consumption of processed foods.
Do not dine out for 4 weeks. Take bag lunches to work. Make sure they are healthy lunches.
Drink only water and if possible stay away from public water sources unless you boil your water first or at least allow it to sit out over night in an open container to the chloride and fluoride can evaporate some.
The chloride and fluoride in your water is killing you. I have well water and I add a pinch of baking powder to each 8 ounces of water I drink to help make my body more alkaline plus I like the taste. I see you making a face. Try it before you knock it.
When grocery shopping plan to try at least on store brand each week. My wife hates most store brands, but she does like a few. Find your few.
Do not buy any clothing. This will be harder for women than men. Keep in mind that not purchasing saves more money than purchasing “on sale” items.
Visit your local thrift stores, after your 4 weeks are up. They often have great brand names in excellent condition and at greatly discounted prices.
For your entertainment visit local free establishments like your library, museums, public parks, etc. Did you know that, at least here in Connecticut, your local library has free passes to parks and other public places that most people pay to visit?
While at your library pick up some self-help do-it-yourself books to do your home improvements or repairs. You may just be surprised at how talented you can become.
Finally, when you are itching to spend your money on something that is not allowed during your 4-week recovery program, write down what you wanted to buy and how you felt about not buying it.
At the end of your abstinence period read your journal and see if you still feel the same need about those items you held off buying.
Let me know your results, assuming you are one of the 3% that actually complete the 4-week re-training program.
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Classified Ads and New U.S.A. Logo
24. February 2010 by admin.
These classifieds actually ran in a
FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER.
8-years old. Hateful little bastard. Bites!
FREE PUPPIES:
1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbor’s dog.
FREE PUPPIES.
Mother, AKC German Shepherd.
Father, Super Dog..able to leap tall fences in a single bound.
FOUND DIRTY WHITE DOG.
Looks like a rat. Been out awhile.
Better be a big reward..
COWS, CALVES: NEVER BRED.
Also 1 gay bull for sale.
NORDIC TRACK
$300 Hardly used, call Chubby.
JOINING NUDIST COLONY!
Must sell washer and dryer $300.
WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE
Worn once by mistake. Call Stephanie.
And the best one?:
FOR SALE BY OWNER:
Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica, 45
volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000 or best offer.
No longer needed, Got married last month… husband knows everything.
******************************************
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Fuel Cells, State Bureaucracy and Global Warming
23. February 2010 by admin.
Yesterday I read an article in Sunday’s Hartford Courant titled “Fuel Cells Need a Way to Shine”. It is a great example of government in action. A developer wants to build a “green” building to achieve LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Basically, he wants to have his 32-story 500-unit apartment building use non-polluting energy sources for its electricity needs.
He was promised a $900,000 grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund to cover half the cost of the power generating equipment. The extra electricity that is produced can then be sold back to the local power company, a win-win for both parties as the power company can use the extra power to sell. In steps another state agency, the Department of Public Utility Council, and denies him permission to go through with the proposal.
He found a work-around solution, which was clearly within the law and was turned down again, mainly because his plan was ”novel”, “precedential”, and new territory for the DPUC. Talk about a Catch-22. Sometimes one wonders why we have so many government agencies and government regulations. Perhaps it’s just another way to reward friends and backers of elected public officials with a cushy job that requires no experience or educational background and even less intelligence.
Hmmm, perhaps I have just hit on a way for the Federal and state governments to balance their budgets, get rid of 80% of their bureaucracy.
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Be Careful When Reading the Newspaper
22. February 2010 by admin.
Although I receive the newspaper 4 days a week, I seldom look at more than the sports page for information on the University of Connecticut Women’s basketball team and the comics.
This morning while cleaning part of the refrigerator and cooking up some vegetable soup and rice, I looked over some of Sunday’s paper. I saved out 4 things:
1. an article titled – “Right back to the drawing board” which discussed the GOP and the tea party activists’ movement.
2. an article titled - “Fuel Cells Need a Way to shine”
3. an article titled – “Give up spending for 4 weeks? It can be done”
4. a listing of the next UConn basketball games. The men’s team has some talented players and they just can’t seem to get 5 of them playing well at the same time. They play #8, West Virginia tonight and I want to watch parts of it.
“Right back to the drawing board” was about the movement by conservatives to get the Republican party back on track and hopefully stop the madness our Federal government is exhibiting.
Perhaps congress and the president should read my 3rd article and try not to spend any money for 4 weeks.
If I spend money I don’t have because I can force others to pay my debt for me (taxes) and print money out of thin air (like the Federal Reserve – which is NOT part of the government, by the way) I could have a lot of fun.
I could always hope that others will continue to pay their taxes, like good boys and girls so I can continue with my reckless spending.
I could also hope that those same people will continue to allow the Federal Reserve to print billions of new “funny” money.
I say “funny” money because it’s only value is the paper and ink used to print it and that totals only pennies, no matter what denomination they print.
Actually, I guess it’s not so “funny” as the more they print the less value your dollars have (often referred to as inflation). It is a good thing very few people care enough to do something about my reckless spending.
If enough of them do become concerned then I can declare martial law, call in the military and throw their butts in jail or worse. Boy, for your sakes, I hope the military does what’s right and ignores the orders from me, their commander-in-chief.
I do want this sweet deal to continue. After all I like spending, spending, spending, power, power, power.
Sorry, I got carried away there for a moment with my wealth and power.
I had mentioned before that one newsletter I always read in by Robert Ringer. His post today was very good as it touched on what my first article had to say. You can read it at http://blog.robertringer.com/ and is titled Saying Yes to the Party of No.
Another person I have been following lately is Glenn Beck, another ultra conservative. He is mentioned in the first article I read.
Ryan Hecker was also mentioned as a tea party activist who has set up a website at http://contractfromamerica.com. He is for abolishing the Department of Education, dismantling the IRS and establishing an official U.S. language.
Perhaps I will end now and look at his website.
Tomorrow I will briefly review article #2 and then Wednesday see how I can curb my spending for 4 weeks as mentioned in article #3.
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The Many Uses of Cucumbers
20. February 2010 by admin.
This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their “Spotlight on the Home” series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance…
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don’t have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!Pass this along to everybody you know who is looking for better and safer ways to solve life’s everyday problems.
Guess what I am going to grow in my garden this year? Hmmm, I wonder if it matters what kind of cucumbers?
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What Happened in New Orleans in 2005?
19. February 2010 by admin.
I must admit that I was shocked when I saw these two videos about the aftermath of the devastation of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in August 2005.
Actually, according to these videos, it was not Hurricane Katrina that destroyed New Orleans. It was the dykes built to protect New Orleans from the raging Mississippi River that destroyed her.
This seems to be just another example of what can happen when we put all of our trust and faith in the belief that the federal government is working to make our lives better.
If the USA is still a strong and free country in 5 years then this may be the material that motivated you to do more research and then take action to ensure that our freedoms are protected as the original Constitution and Bill of Rights intended.
If on the other hand the people of the USA remain complacent and do nothing to change things then we will be reduced to a third rate country.
This might be a good time to FINALLY get the story straight on New Orleans:
1. In 2005, long AFTER Hurricane Katrina passed, the federally built and maintained levees failed nearly destroying the entire city.
2. The federal government provided no aid to the survivors of this engineering catastrophe for nearly a week.
Not only that, they actually interfered with aid efforts and blocked people stuck in the city from leaving the city. (They don’t even do that in Haiti!)
3. Then, instead of protecting the city, the local police - and all the other law enforcement that made it to New Orleans days before meaningful relief did - went door to door, car to car, boat to boat and SEIZED FIREARMS from normal citizens who needed them for self-protection.
I was not able to insert the videos so please follow this link to view.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/144.html
What really happened in New Orleans?
Firemen witnesses told to shut up
The rest of the story is far worse than what the firemen were aware of…
Visit the link below to view:
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/79.html
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Adding Value to the Lives of Others by Living Your Passion
18. February 2010 by admin.
See what a little imagination, some talent and the desire to add value to the lives of others can do. Discover and live your passion and anything is possible.
Need a good painter?
This guy should qualify!
- Before photo -
Typical concrete & stucco facade.
The wall starts to take on a
3-dimensional appearance.
Eric in his element, 30′ off the ground.
He does most of the artwork by himself
& researches, paints and designs each
Project from scratch.
His wife Kathy, also an artist,
Serves as project manager.
- After photo -
Finished product
MORE BELOW!
Here are some more examples of Eric’s projects…
Before photo
After photo…
Hard to believe you’re looking at a flat 2-dimensional wall.
How to dress up a Drab Shopping Mall -
Before photo…
After photo…
Also look at the close-up of Left side and middle
(I wonder how many birds fly Into this wall on a daily basis??)
Indoor Murals
Miller Brewery… Hallway
Before
- Miller Fermenting Rooms 
After photos…
- Past meets Present in the Miller Brewery Fermenting Rooms. Hooks, clipboards and aprons were Added To the Surface of the murals to enhance The illusion…
You’re looking at flat walls!
Detail view looking down The illusional hallway in the previous mural.
I wonder how many people walk into the walls,
WHILE trying to go down a hallway that does not exist! SIMPLY AMAZING, ISN’T IT?
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