Monday - May 14, 2012

IT’S PERSONAL

Yesterday I posted a story about the closing of a museum. Nobody made any comments on it here at bmews but there were a number of comments made by Daily Mail readers on line. Including me because I felt strongly about the subject, and mourned the passing of the museum and most likely the Empire as well.

Sun sets on the only museum dedicated to the British Empire because of the nation’s dislike of colonial past

By MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER

The country’s only museum dedicated to the glories of the British Empire has closed for good.

The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum has been forced to sell its premises in Bristol and give up its collections because of public antipathy towards the country’s colonial past.

That isn’t the entire article but it’s enough for my purpose today.
As I mentioned above, I wrote a comment along with others.
When I opened my email this morning, I was greeted thus.

Hello jayd,

We have received a number of complaints about the comment you made on article “Sun sets on the only museum dedicated to the British Empire because of the nation’s dislike of colonial past “ (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2143618/Sun-sets-museum-dedicated-British-Empire-nations-dislike-colonial-past.html), 13/05/2012 at 07:23

Due to the number of complaints received, your comment has been removed from MailOnline.

Should the situation change, we will review and consider re-publishing. Until such time, your comment will remain off the site. To avoid this happening again, please take the time to review the House Rules and site Terms and Conditions.

I wish I had made a copy of the short comment I wrote, and can not recall what I said that would have caused so much angst and complaints. But the folks at the Mail don’t tell me how many that number was, nor do they tell me in what way or what words used could have caused offense.  I used no bad language and attacked nobody personally so I am in the dark as to which one of their numerous rules I violated.
So it sure does have me PO’d. Not from an ego standpoint. But from the position that I was actually defending the Empire and thought that the billions spent on foreign aid could be better spent here in England.  Oh yeah, I also mourned the idea that the Victory had to beg for money and lease itself to raise funds for upkeep.

And so it goes. Which I fear ain’t well.

Posted by peiper     on 05/14/2012 at 04:34 AM   
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   Friday - April 13, 2012

activist as a job description and civilians

I have no warm feelings for Assad of Syria and am not defending him. Never.
But. I am suspicious of the never ending almost hourly reports we get, mostly BBC radio and of course from the western govts. who are opposed to him and his regime.  When I hear the news and with no exceptions, I hear the local newscaster at our end introduce people who are on the scene as, “activists.” How much do activists earn these days because it’s used increasingly as a job title. Whenever I hear or see that word I want to reach for a gun I wish I had.  Activist.  One can be anything and especially a leftist pain in the arse but that word makes it all okay.  Hey, you’re an activist.  Here’s the key to the city.

These ‘activists’ then report to us about mothers and children being shot dead by govt. troops as if they were the prime targets instead of unfortunates caught up in an uprising.
The reporting activist who generally has no name except for activist, tells us of the dreadful actions carried out by Assad’s troops who aren’t soldiers really but bloodthirsty brigands warring on innocent civilians.  In passing and more as an aside, we then hear from a news source that the government denies the claim of indiscriminate slaughter and says it is responding to “provocations” by the protesters.  I can not help but wonder if any of those provocations are armed.  We aren’t told. Of course we keep hearing about the Belgium babies and nuns used for bayonet practise.  Oh wait.  Whoops.
Wrong war and wrong propaganda.  But you get the picture.

Meanwhile back at number 10, the conservative (lite. very lite) Prime Minister call me Dave, is using the by now 21st century mantra about protecting “civilians” and calling on muslims everywhere to adopt ‘Democracy.’ And they for their part are so impressed they’re going to drop everything and forget everything they’ve learned at their madrassas over a lifetime, and change the thinking that so comfortably suits them, circa 7th century.

I’m thinking the PM is giving conservatives a bad name.  Mind you, I do the same with my occasional recommendations for genocide.  But I don’t run a government or head a political party and who listens to me anyway. I’m in no position to stick my nose into the internal affairs of a foreign and sovereign country.

We all know the Assad regime isn’t exactly the source of light and concern with civil rights that aren’t granted in some mosque.  Rights for males that is.

Frankly, while I have no doubts about a restrictive govt. and ill treatment and the corruption which is and always has been so much a part of that world, I am not well disposed to the versions I hear on the news and most especially when I hear it continually from,

“Activists.”

Where’s that damn gun?

Posted by peiper     on 04/13/2012 at 12:06 PM   
Filed Under: • Personal •  
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   Saturday - March 17, 2012

On-the-job Sexual Harassment

This is a true story.

1979. I was home from my freshman year at college. Working again at the Pizza Hut in ******** I’d helped open the year before. The manager then was Steve. Now it was Rose.

Showed up for work: knocked on the back door:

“You got eight inches?” I heard Rose, my current boss ask.

Not sure I’d heard her correctly, I asked her to repeat: Sure enough!

“You got eight inches?”

My reply: “Rose, I’m damned if I’m gonna cut off two inches just to satisfy you.”

She let me in!

Posted by Christopher     on 03/17/2012 at 09:50 PM   
Filed Under: • Humor • Personal •  
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   Friday - March 09, 2012

looking for a solution to a problem. see screen shot and note. any ideas?

Gonna be short to nil on my posting today, but needed to get this in.

A problem I can’t solve and I’ve tried the usual stuff, thinking that the problem was on my machine or maybe the browser.

Here’s what’s happening and it only happens on this web site. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/?source=refresh

The trouble first surfaced yesterday or maybe the day before.

Getting double images, print covered by other print and photos the same.
Here’s a screen shot of just a little but you’ll get the idea.

This appears on the far right side of the page in a column called Promotions although there are also news stories there.
I use Chrome as my default browser, and also have Opera and IE8 which I hardly ever use.  But the problem showed itself on all three browsers.
So, I downloaded the latest Firefox browser (which btw impressed me as there are some improvements from when I last used it before uninstalling)
Anyway, the problem showed itself on FF also.
I called the Telegraph and got this reply.

Thank you for contacting the Telegraph Media Group.

Sorry you have been experiencing problems whilst using the Telegraph.co.uk.

Unfortunately, this problem has not been recognised from within the Telegraph or from any other users. We have tested this area of the website today from various computers and found no issues arising. We can now confirm that the cause of the problem you are experiencing is external from the Telegraph website and we believe this may possibly be a local issue concerned with your personal computer set-up.

As you may already be aware, computers are very complex tools and this particular problem could be related to a host of different possibilities by the general nature of computers, some of which you may not comprehend and of which we are unable to help you diagnose remotely from our office.

So I thought I’d share this with all here who are tech smarter them me which may be all of you. If any have ideas or suggestions I’d love to hear em cos I am stumped.  Yeah, cache is cleared. System defragged, and all the usual regular maintenance we’re supposed to do.  I do those as a matter of course and not just when there’s a problem.

And why only this one site if the problem is not at the newspaper online?

Posted by peiper     on 03/09/2012 at 10:33 AM   
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   Wednesday - February 29, 2012

Boating on the White River

I earned my Boating merit badge at summer camp when I was eleven-years-old. My first summer camp. I was proud of earning my Boating merit badge.

The next summer I spent at Grandpa’s cabin on the White River in Indiana. He let me have unfettered use of his rowboat. I’ll never forget the time I took his rowboat out on the White River… I’d rowed it upstream, obvious, if you want an easy trip back home, you just drift downstream. I’d found a bank on the west side of the White River that was just white sand. I spent the day getting a suntan and reading. Then I went back ‘home’.

Grandpa was waiting on the dock as I sculled the boat back to the dock. It’s the only time I remember him hugging me and telling me he was proud of me. Guess I handled a boat on the river correctly.

That changed in the fall, he took me squirrel hunting and I couldn’t hit a squirrel to save my soul. It’s a good thing that Grandpa was with me or we’d have gone hungry.

BTW, squirrel tastes like chicken, at least if its BBQ’d.

Posted by Christopher     on 02/29/2012 at 08:48 PM   
Filed Under: • Personal •  
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EYE CANDY. WHAT A MARINE SHOULD BE KISSING. AND ONE DOES.  THIS POST IS PERSONAL.

This one is personal.  And it’s the only photo I have left of the many I took. This is a scan of the original.

I took this shot maybe 30 yrs ago, and developed in my own darkroom. I am privileged to know her and to still be a friend.  I once produced her records and no, we never made the Billboard charts. I was also her road manager on a grinding tour here in the UK that I set up. I used to book country singers for tours over here after I left radio.  I must tell you that I have never known anyone with such iron indiscipline, and although older then her she sure managed to teach me a few things about planning.  Long story and of no importance here.

She is a very religious woman and active in her church and always has been. She isn’t a johnny come lately who has suddenly been reborn.

She’s married to a decorated (bravery) Marine and Viet Nam vet.

She’s also as much at home with power tools as she is with guns, and has built either on her own or with her husband, improvements and extensions to their home.  And she’s pretty damn smart.  Trust me on that.  She was never a dumb blonde.  But lord she did look wonderful in a mini or a bikini. Oh yeah, she also made many of her own cloths including stage wear. 

I’ve been wanting to post this photo for a long time but for one reason or another I just never got around to it. Of course, I had to find it first. It’s been packed away with other things and mementos for years. 

Well, yesterday I sent something to Drew which he posted a link to.  Could not bring myself to do it. Then this morning when I booted, I found something from her in my inbox, you folks might have already seen it if it’s making the rounds of emails.  But since it’s Marine inspired I felt I should post her photo along with what she sent to me.

In another note from her some time ago when I shared a gun thing that Drew wrote about, she sent me this line.

Yeah, husband carries a NAA 22 mag that has a barrell about 3/4 inch longer than the pug and I carry a NAA Black Widow in my purse.  We both have conceal carry permits.

It comes in various sizes: Generally from .223 to .50

The exact size of the implant will be selected by a well-trained and highly skilled technician, who will also make the injection.
No Anesthetic is required.

Posted by peiper     on 02/29/2012 at 07:50 AM   
Filed Under: • Personal • Terrorists •  
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   Tuesday - February 28, 2012

They Must Have Changed The Name

U.S. Marines?
No longer. Now it’s the
EWWW S. Marines

Peiper wouldn’t post this. I will. But you don’t have to click.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2107338/Gay-marines-follow-wake-lesbian-home-coming-kiss.html

Posted by Drew458     on 02/28/2012 at 05:17 PM   
Filed Under: • Gay Gay Gay! • Personal •  
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   Friday - February 10, 2012

My other niece

I posted earlier that my baby niece Erika got married. I didn’t mention anything about my other niece. (and Erika’s older sister) Mainly because she’s on her second marriage.

Don’t get me started on her first marriage. If I’d been in the area, hubby #1 would have met my shotgun. It would have been ‘shoot, shovel, and shut-up’. Rather like that idiot who fathered Bristol Palin’s child. Todd Palin has more tolerance than me.

But anyway, here’s my other niece and her husband.

Russell and Audrina

I must say, they seem to be doing quite well. I checked my Facebook page and Audrina posted some pics of ‘her little helper’. Their son is of an age that he’s trying to help around the house. Which, if I’m not mistaken, means he’s getting in the way.

I said it before, our family turns out hot women. The guys all look like me. Very sad.

Posted by Christopher     on 02/10/2012 at 04:43 AM   
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   Sunday - February 05, 2012

a personal thought

Some of you may not keep track of things of this nature and normally I don’t either.
It just so happens however, that for some odd reason I remembered Hitler’s birthday.
Not mind you that I celebrate the date.

The other birthday (my wife aside) that I have always remembered is the birthday of a woman who I had the longest crush on and used to call her Your Highness whenever we met.  That would be Loretta Lynn, April 14th.  I used to celebrate that date.
When I was a DJ, I hosted a large party at a local restaurant in Paducah, Ky., even though Loretta wasn’t in attendance.  But her record company gave me lots of help with free give aways etc.  So anyway …. this post isn’t about her and I don’t mean to use her noble self on the same page as AH and hope is does her no harm.
I’m only saying those are the dates I remember with no prompting

The Hitler date has a bit of a story and while I suppose I can understand the folks who questioned having a concert to celebrate Wagner on the same date as the birthday of AH, I think to cancel a concert just because he liked Wagner and a concert was scheduled on that date, is just plain silly. And pc I think.

I am not a fan of opera. I don’t understand it and had to put up with a lot of it as a kid, as my mother was a huge fan.  So I heard it a lot and never much liked what I heard.
I belonged heart and sole to Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw and Bix and the Firehouse Five etc.
But who am I?  If even Hitler loved Wagner …. ???

Well, as it happens, Berlin’s biggest opera house, the Deutsche Oper, has been forced to backtrack on plans to stage a re-launched version of Adolf Hitler’s favourite Wagner opera on the Nazi leader’s birthday.  April 20.  I honestly think we can be sure, in light of present day German laws, that the director of the opera house had no intention of celebrating that date.  He’d have risked jail were it intentional.  The date was pencilled in far in advance, the director says. With no thought to the date as anything other then just that. A date on a calendar.  But because AH was a very large fan of Wagner and especially of the one scheduled to be performed on the 100th anniversary of the opera house, it was decided to change the date least the wrong people see it as something else.  And of course, in case anyone might become offended.

OK, so what other events in any other part of the world might be considered a no show day in case the date should fall on the birth date of some infamous historical and criminal character?

Jeesh.

Cheers and enjoy what’s left of your wkend.  I’m off but decided to leave you with this bit of unrelated to anything except the appeal. And nope. Don’t know her b. day. Does it matter? Didn’t think so.

Posted by peiper     on 02/05/2012 at 07:20 AM   
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   Wednesday - February 01, 2012

I NEED A BIGGER TARBRUSH redux

I’d like to weigh in on ‘racism’.

Bullshit.

Sorry, but I’m one of these people who remember MLK’s speech “…not the color of their skin, but the content of their character.”

Allow me to show you my family:

Actually, I’m not certain who’s on First. I think that’s Michael, next is my sister Michelle, next is Rachel, (Mother of my niece Erika, that I just posted about), Next is half-sister Laura, Then Anthony Johnson…

Anthony Scott Johnson (born October 25, 1967 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a former professional American football running back for eleven seasons in the National Football League for the Indianapolis Colts, the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears, the Carolina Panthers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Johnson now ministers as the chaplain to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He attended Stanley Clark School, and then played high school football at John Adams High School, where his jersey is still on display. He also played college football at Notre Dame.

My point? Not a racist. However, you better behave!

Have to admit one regret… there was a time I could carry Michael and Anthony under both arms. They’re way too big for that anymore!

Posted by Christopher     on 02/01/2012 at 10:57 PM   
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   Tuesday - January 31, 2012

My baby niece got married!

Erika & Phil.

Posted by Christopher     on 01/31/2012 at 04:36 AM   
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   Monday - January 30, 2012

Washing machine woes…

Ever notice how bad things come in threes?

In just the last week…

1.) My wife’s new Jeep breaks down…again. If she had consulted me before the purchase I’d have advised against buying a Chrysler product. Especially when it had to go to the shop BEFORE she even took delivery. I only found out about her purchase because I got the insurance bill before she took delivery. Then she accused me of ‘opening her mail.’ I had to point out that the insurance bill was indeed addressed to me.

2.) She wakes me up from a nap. Seems the stove caught fire! Her words. In fact, all that happened was a ‘popping’ sound and the smell of burnt insulation. Third time this has happened in the last twenty years. Just needed a new terminal block for that burner. The other three burners worked fine. Fixed now. I bought four new terminal blocks, which means I still have three back-ups. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t just replace that burner? It does heat unevenly…

3.) Next day she calls me down to the basement. The washing machine isn’t spin-drying. I turned it on and, yeah, it sounded like one of the cats coughing up a hairball. I spent two days taking that thing apart. I was hoping it was something simple and cheap…like a broken coupler (the part that connects the motor to the transmission–$10+shipping for a replacement.). No such luck. Took it apart, and the coupler was fine. Had to do a few more checks and turns out the transmission was going bad. This was not good. I was not going to spend $200 for a new transmission for a twenty-year-old washing machine. Instead, I spent $450 (+tax and delivery) on a new washing machine. Which just got delivered about 8:30 this morning.

Good thing I socked a lot of money into my savings account before I became unemployed!

Posted by Christopher     on 01/30/2012 at 10:29 AM   
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   Thursday - December 22, 2011

Oldcatman?

Does anyone have an update? I owe him a 12-pack. My Google search turned up nothing.

Posted by Christopher     on 12/22/2011 at 11:56 AM   
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   Monday - December 19, 2011

FURTHER ADVENTURES OF BRAIN DEAD COUSIN JO.

POOR BRAIN DEAD COUSIN JO

the saga continues

December 2011

Poor brain dead cousin Jo is so called because she just may be the dumbest woman in the western hemisphere.  If not the world. 
For those readers new to this site, the brain dead wonder of the western world happens to be my wife’s cousin.

She is a good person, a generally kindly older woman, but oh so stupid she almost defies description. 
Our regulars here at BMEWS have seen previous adventures of this laffable loon.
For those of you who haven’t, here’s an example of what I mean by stupid.

She once called us because she was having trouble reading in bed and wanted our advice with regard to a problem.  Her book kept falling on her.  ?? When asked how that was possible, it turned out that the silly woman wasn’t actually sitting up straight in bed, but was reclining, more prone then recline and trying to hold her book over her head. And she was falling asleep and so would drop the book which of course would fall on her head.  Yeah. She’s that stupid.  Which from my point of view is fine because I started a journal on around 2008, chronicling cousin Jo’s verbal meanderings and traumas.  Like, not knowing how to self administer an enema.
Yeah.  She’s that stupid.

So, when she calls or comes by for a visit, I listen to what passes for a conversation, in hope of getting more material to write about and add to the journal dedicated to her.
As good fortune would have it, an opportunity presented itself to us just recently.
As in last evening when she called seeking help with another one of life’s little problems that vexes her so.  This time is wasn’t quite how do you boil water dumb, but it does come pretty close to that category.

About ten days ago, she came by for a visit. She also overstayed as is her habit.  She had coffee with us and was asked if she’d like it with Bailey’s Irish Cream.  A boozy drink of great good taste.  She said yes she like to try that.  It was served and she enjoyed it and asked the wife how she made it.  Well, the wife tells her she simply put the Bailey’s into the coffee cup. That was all. No measure or anything. Just put in the same as you would cream or milk.  Simple, you might think. Ah, but this is brain dead cousin Jo we’re writing about.  Not to be confused with anyone normal and a grasp of the obvious. 

Well, Jo called one night saying she tried to make her coffee at home with Baileys but for some reason it wasn’t coming out right.  She wanted to know what we did to make the taste so different from the way hers tasted. Something wasn’t quite right she reported.  So the wife asked her what she was doing.

Turns out she was putting milk in the coffee in addition to the Baileys. So we told her no Jo. You don’t need the milk and the Baileys. Just the boozy Baileys. Add to taste. That’s it. Nothing too complicated. Right?  Wanna bet?

She called us again last night saying she just didn’t have it right and wanted further instructions.  She just didn’t seem to have it right and asked for the third time how to unlock the secret of this marvellous scientific discovery.
The phone rang, I answered and passed the phone to my wife.
This is how her side of the conversation went.

Phone: ringring,ringring.
Me:  Pick up phone and say hello.
Cousin Jo:  “OH,,, Hello” That’s how she always answers. She says OH! as tho she’s surprised anyone answered.  She needs help with the coffee thing and the Baileys.
I pass the phone to my wife and grab a pen and pad.

WIFE:
No Jo.  you are not supposed to boil the Baileys. It’s alcohol Jo. You’re boiling out the booze.
No Jo. I didn’t say to boil the Baileys.
No Jo. Don’t add the Baileys to the water.  You add it to the coffee already in the cup.
Yes Jo. If you’re making instant coffee, you do boil the water. But not the Baileys.
Yes Jo. put the coffee granules in the cup like you always do.
Right. Add the water.
No Jo. You don’t have to wait for the water to cool.
Pour in the water Jo, and then the Baileys Cream according to how strong you like it.
No Jo.  Don’t put any milk in it.  Remember?  We already covered that.
Yes.  Cup – Coffee – Baileys
Yes. That’s really all there is to it.
No, no trouble at all Jo.  Happy to help.
Good night Jo.

And so ends another chapter in the continuing adventures of
POOR BRAIN DEAD COUSIN JO.

Stay tuned. There’s always more to follow.

Posted by peiper     on 12/19/2011 at 12:26 PM   
Filed Under: • Personal • Stoopid-People •  
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