Irritants

Radio interviewers should stick to the phone. Skype makes the speaker sound like he is underwater and    someone is blowing big bubbles behind him.

I don't care if it's free. Radio Canada, NPR and BBC can afford it.

Republicans should go home and get off the grid. All of the grid is subsidized by taxpayers and Repugnants haven't done their work. They think saying "No" over and over and over again is productive.

Repugnants should not use roads, health care, medicine, TV, radios, food, or any goods. All of those items are provided or overseen by the gov't. Surely Repugnants don't want to be takers.

My Senators are bad for my health. I want to abolish them.

Confused

Local farmer is interviewed on national news. He's livid. Gov't should not subsidize corn for fuel.
Gov't should stay out of all business.
 I nod.
Wrong. Farm subsidies are a national duty say farmers.

Business is stashing money in stock market because of uncertainty. Business is stashing money in banks because they don't know what will happen. Smart policy.
I nod.
Stupid people are stashing their money anywhere but the stock market.
I nod.

Wait a minute. News Flash.

Big banks are paying small amounts of money in fines. Essentially they and the bank inspectors were "out to lunch" said commentator.
MMMmmmm. People lost houses to bad banks. People lost money to stock market-though the markets are back up.
Who didn't lose money and houses?
Rich people and rich bankers.

Union busting aka "Right to Work Laws" are spreading. Good for business. Job creators abound.
I nod.
Only job creators aren't hiring much.
It is estimated that the workers are going unpaid. Tips are confiscated. Overtime is unpaid.

Yup. I guess I understand it.

Not pretty.

Why I can't call the exterminator

Some long time ago I was alone in the living room. A small mouse, driven no doubt by hunger, zigged into the room. I yelled and he zagged out. I picked up the phone and called Barney the exterminator. I think I went to school with Barney somewhere along the way and my friend had given me his number.
"Hi Barney," I said. "This is Nancy Blignaut and boy do I have a problem..."
As I described the difficulty to him in my usual way ( dramatic and over-verbal), the mouse skittered into the room again and sat down.
I yelled again.
Barney said, "You've got a real problem there, I'll..."
"He won't run away!" I shouted into the phone. Then goaded by some primal instinct I picked up the jewelry catalogue (Rio Grande makes a nice thick one) and headed for the mouse. Still holding the phone I whacked the mouse with the catalogue.
"He won't die!" I screamed.
I whacked him again.
"He still isn't dead!"
I whacked harder.
Mousie was dead.

"Barney? When can you come over?"

The phone answered,"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

I've been too ashamed to talk about this till now. Barney won't answer my calls either.

Golly.

Ran through the news today. Amazing.
Paul Krugman commented on the use of common politeness  in social interaction. He noted that MidWesterners tended to suffer fools more kindly than others. Well, we do. Some many of us were raised with the notion that others deserve respect because "there but for the grace of God go I" or "you show yourself a jerk when you're unkind." or because "Be polite or I'll spank you." still rings in our ears. He quoted several sources, Jane Austin among them. The phrase "suffering fools gladly" was in play in his article.
The first comment on his post castigated him for his over niceness.

WalMart sold me the wrong insulin. I reported this to the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy and expect that the report is the last I will hear about the incident. For the three of you who read this blog, note. The failure to sell the right insulin indicates a systemic problem in this Walmart store. Be very careful.

Some voice among the chattering classes was raised about violence against women in relation to the murder by rape of a woman in Delhi.

Has no one noticed that the "problem of women" is at the root of most of the culture wars? China and India have a population imbalance that is growing greater by the year. (More men than women) These cultures deal with women by aborting female fetuses, exposing female children, killing women with inadequate dowries and giving away unwanted girl babies en masse.

In the States men continue to fight for control of female fertility.

I note that more women are succeeding in school, graduating from college and competing for jobs. I also note that the minute the general populace realized that nursing was secure and WELL PAID (compared to other work), men flocked en masse to nursing school.

Were I a conservative (thereby a congressperson owned by the NRA) I would raise teachers' pay.
Many men would fight to be teachers and be happy to stand armed in front of a playground, class or school.

I honestly think and have thought for years that the position of women the source of most of the world's conflicts today.